Les Huguenots: Cent ans de persécution, 1685-1789

This work surveys a century of religious oppression in France, tracing how the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 plunged the Huguenot community into a prolonged struggle for freedom. Drawing on legal documents, personal testimonies, and contemporary commentary, it shows how successive monarchs used edicts, imprisonment, forced conversions and exile to suppress dissent. The narrative highlights both the suffering endured in prisons, galley ships, and remote colonies, and the resilience of those who clung to their faith.

The author also examines the shifting political climate that eventually opened the way to tolerance, especially under Louis XVI, whose 1787 edict attempted to restore civil rights to Protestants. By connecting these events to broader ideas of conscience and liberty, the book illuminates how the Huguenot experience influenced French debates on religious liberty. Listeners will gain a nuanced picture of a community that, despite systematic persecution, contributed to the emerging discourse on human rights.